The Two-Legged Rat

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Criminal

Group Membership: "Speedball Revenge Squad" (the Basher, Bonehead, Bug-Eyed Voice, Fred Caskey, the Harlequin Hit-Man, Leaper Logan, the Sticker)

Affiliations: Clyde (employer)

Enemies: Cats (including Niels), Officer Burnatt, Speedball (Robbie Baldwin), Speedball (Darrion Grobe)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Called the "Cat-Killer" by the media in Springdale

Base of Operations: Springdale, Connecticut

First Appearance: Speedball#5 (January, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: No powers, but he's decent with guns. He's been seen using a rifle and a semi-automatic.

History: (Speedball#5/2) - Seeking a thrill, a man took to wearing a mask and shooting cats with a rifle. This Cat-Killer continued his killing spree until one day, while waiting in the park for a target, Speedball bumped into him. The Cat-Killer kicked Speedball away and fled. The Cat-Killer was spooked, but enjoyed his crimes too much to give up.

Later, in the park again, the Cat-Killer was taking aim at a cat when it was approached by Officer Burnatt. While considering killing the cat lover along with the cat, the Killer was started by Niels, then Speedball who had been chasing the cat. The Cat-Killer's rifle went off, nearly hitting Burnatt, who returned fire. Realizing the danger he was in, the Cat-Killer ran off, leaving his mask and gun behind.

(New Warriors I#66 - BTS) - Either the Two-Legged Rat started killing cats again and ended up in jail to be broken out by Clyde, or he was hired by Clyde without having gone to jail.

(New Warriors I#66) - The Two-Legged Rat and many other criminals were employed by Clyde to find Dr. Benson's cat Niels, which had powers similar to Speedball that Clyde intended to steal. The Two-Legged Rat had to fight his urge to simply kill Niels. When Speedball found the criminals, he took them all down with ease. The Rat ended up going to jail with the rest.

Comments: Created by Steve Ditko, Roger Stern and Bruce Patterson

In his first appearance, he was only referred to as "the Two Legged Rat" on the cover and in the story he was just the cat killer. Speedball identified him as the Two-Legged Rat in the New Warriors story.

I don't entirely buy Clyde's claim to have been behind all the villains of Springdale. Short of creating a Makes-You-Hate-Cats formulae, there's no real way that Clyde could've been behind this one.

My understanding is that the Speedball in the New Warriors issue wasn't really Speedball, but Darrion Grobe, who actually thought he was Speedball. That doesn't make much difference here though.

Thanks to Prime Eternal for the images.

by Patrick D Ryall

CLARIFICATIONS:

The Two-Legged Rat has no known connection to:

• any rat or rodent related characters.

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